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MSRP $29.95
RATED Not Rated
STUDIO DOCURAMA
RUNNING TIME 88 Minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Skype Q&A with Katya Samutsevich
- Trailer
The Pitch
A look under the balaclavas of the punk protest group Pussy Riot.
The Humans
Nadezhda Tolokonikova, Maria Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, Pussy Riot
The Nutshell
Nadezhda Tolokonikova (Nadia), Maria Alyokhina (Masha), and Yekaterina Samutsevich (Katia) are chief members of Pussy Riot, an anti-Putin protest group. They wear dresses and colorful balaclavas and sing protest songs in various locations around Russia. In February of 2012 the girls demonstrated a “punk prayer” in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. They were arrested in March of 2012 and after a circus of a trial, Nadia and Masha were sentenced to 2 years in a penal colony in Siberia.
The Lowdown
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer serves as a summary of the events surrounding Pussy Riot’s “punk prayer” and their subsequent trial. There are interviews with family members of each of the girls, detailing their personalities and childhoods. While all of this is fascinating and informative, the one thing that the documentary fails to do is really demonstrate the current state of affairs in Russia. Pussy Riot and their comrades in punk-protesting, Voina, are angry and trying to change things, but the documentary never really explains what they’re angry about.
Such a sweet sentiment.
The documentary makes use of Pussy Riot’s footage of their performances, placing the “music videos” between important events in the narrative. As the documentary progresses in chronological order, the videos do as well and the viewer is able to see the progression of Pussy Riot’s protests. Also included is never-before-seen footage shot by the young women as they rehearsed for their punk protests. They seem like little girls preparing to put on a show for their parents, giggling as they discuss who should yell which defamatory phrase against the government or the church.
Interviews with the parents of the three Pussy Riot members are incredibly enlightening and allow for insight into why each young woman is involved in the protests. All of the parents interviewed believe in what their children are doing and are proud of them for sticking up to the government. This is interesting because the parents come from different economic and political backgrounds and one might expect at least one set of parents to disapprove of their daughter’s behavior. The only time a parent showed dismay was when Nadia’s father discussed her involvement in Voina’s “Biology Museum” protest in which Nadia had sex in a museum at eight months pregnant. Even then, he said that he is still proud of her for having the bravery to do such a thing, but that he cannot watch the video of the protest because “that’s (his) daughter.” (The video is shown in the documentary and is extremely graphic.)
I named this guy Creepy Biker Santa.
In addition to interviews with those supporting Pussy Riot, the documentary also goes into depth about the individuals who want them imprisoned or dead. Prominently featured are the Carriers of the Cross, a Russian Orthodox collection of men that look like a bunch of grizzled old alcoholic bikers. They explain their belief that Nadia, in particular, is a demon sent from hell and that the other young women are witches. This is a sentiment that seems to be shared with a number of the individuals that gather outside of the courthouse during the trial. Onlookers carrying signs condemning Pussy Riot shout that the girls are “possessed” and that they must be punished. It is worth noting that none of Pussy Riot’s supporters, who show up dressed in colorful balaclavas, start any of the violence that came to be associated with the trial. Several times they are either attacked by police officers or by the religious groups that have gathered.
This reminds me of a level in Super Mario.
It is difficult not to get angry watching the documentary. While the actual reasons for Pussy Riot’s protests are not explained, the treatment of the group and their supporters is enough to begin to understand their vitriol toward Putin and the Russian government. In an interview, Nadia says that they are ” jokers, jesters, holy fools, and bear no ill will towards anyone.” One of the protests that Nadia and Katia started with when they first joined Voina was walking up to police officers and kissing them. Their protests have never been destructive or harmful in any way other than to people’s egos and sense of decency. After the “punk prayer” in the cathedral and their arrest, the girls received death threats. Maria’s mother even received a letter stating that they would rip Masha limb from limb and kill her daughter.
The trial itself is a farce. The girls sit behind bulletproof glass behind their lawyers and are not supposed to talk unless they are directly asked to. They joke with one another, make fun of journalists, and otherwise try to make light of their dire situation. When the actual charges are read, they seem ludicrous to anyone who believes in free speech. The official charges against Nadia, Masha, and Katia are for “disrupting social order by an act of hooliganism that shows disrespect for society and is motivated by religious hatred or enmity”. That’s right, they showed disrespect for society. Thier bared arms inside the cathedral is used as evidence against them, that they are evil and salacious. Since when is breaking dress code and speaking your mind grounds for imprisonment in a penal colony?
Nadia is seriously sick of this crap.
Nadia and Masha are eventually sentenced to two years in Siberian penal colonies. They are described as “work colonies” and the girls are forced to work in frightening conditions. Katia changed her lawyer at the appeal and was freed because video evidence showed that she never stepped up onto the pulpit. She continued to fight the good fight while the other girls were in prison. They have just been released this past Spring, which makes this documentary particularly timely.
The Package
The sound and video are pretty awful, but that has to do with the cameras this was all shot on more than anything. The special features are meager but unnecessary since there is so much content already within the main part of the documentary.
Rating: 
Out of a Possible 5 Stars